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dam

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dam¹

  • /ˈdæm/ UK
  • [ˈdæm] ~ [ˈdam] UK
  • /ˈdam/ British, Midlands, Southern
  • [ˈdam] British, Midlands, Southern
  • /ˈdam/ Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • [ˈdam] ~ [ˈdäm] Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • /ˈdæm/ Canada, US
  • [ˈdæm]
  • [ˈdeə̯m] ~ [ˈdɛə̯m]
  • /ˈdæːm/ Australia
  • [ˈdæːm]
  • [ˈdeːm] ~ [ˈdɛːm]
  • /ˈdɛm/ New Zealand
  • [ˈdɛm] New Zealand

Sounds like damn · Rhymes with -æm

Where it comes from

From Middle English dam, from Old English *damm, from Proto-West Germanic *damm, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

noun dams

  1. A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding. A dam is often an essential source of water to farmers of hilly country.
  2. The water reservoir resulting from placing such a structure. Boats may only be used at places set aside for boating on the dam.
  3. A device to prevent a tooth from getting wet during dental work, consisting of a rubber sheet held with a band.

    Similar: dental dam, oral dam

  4. Australia, South Africa A reservoir.
  5. A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace.

verb dams · damming · dammed

  1. transitive To block the flow of water. Home I vvould go, / But that my Dores are hatefull to my eyes. / Fill'd and damm'd up vvith gaping Creditors, / VVatchfull as Fovvlers vvhen their Game vvill ſpring; […]

dam²

  • /ˈdæm/ UK
  • [ˈdæm] ~ [ˈdam] UK
  • /ˈdam/ British, Midlands, Southern
  • [ˈdam] British, Midlands, Southern
  • /ˈdam/ Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • [ˈdam] ~ [ˈdäm] Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • /ˈdæm/ Canada, US
  • [ˈdæm]
  • [ˈdeə̯m] ~ [ˈdɛə̯m]
  • /ˈdæːm/ Australia
  • [ˈdæːm]
  • [ˈdeːm] ~ [ˈdɛːm]
  • /ˈdɛm/ New Zealand
  • [ˈdɛm] New Zealand

Sounds like damn · Rhymes with -æm

Where it comes from

Variant of dame. Doublet of domina and donna.

noun dams

  1. Female parent, mother, generally regarding breeding of animals. More dear […] than younglings to their dam.
  2. A kind of crowned piece in the game of draughts.

dam³

  • /ˈdæm/ UK
  • [ˈdæm] ~ [ˈdam] UK
  • /ˈdam/ British, Midlands, Southern
  • [ˈdam] British, Midlands, Southern
  • /ˈdam/ Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • [ˈdam] ~ [ˈdäm] Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • /ˈdæm/ Canada, US
  • [ˈdæm]
  • [ˈdeə̯m] ~ [ˈdɛə̯m]
  • /ˈdæːm/ Australia
  • [ˈdæːm]
  • [ˈdeːm] ~ [ˈdɛːm]
  • /ˈdɛm/ New Zealand
  • [ˈdɛm] New Zealand

Sounds like damn · Rhymes with -æm

Where it comes from

From Hindi दाम (dām), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀤𑀫𑁆𑀫 (damma, “coin”), from Sanskrit द्रम्म (drammá), from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ). Doublet of drachm, drachma, and dram.

Alternatively said to be possibly coined from the English phrase "I don't give a dam(n)," referring to its small worth.

noun dams

  1. India, historical An obsolete Indian copper coin, equal to a fortieth of a rupee. […] A small Indian coin; whence comes the saying "I don't care a dam for you," that is I don't value you a farthing, and not as generally given, "I don't care a damn" or a "curse for you." [Possibly a folk etymology.]
  2. historical A former coin of Nepal, 128 of which were worth one mohar.

dam⁴

  • /ˈdæm/ UK
  • [ˈdæm] ~ [ˈdam] UK
  • /ˈdam/ British, Midlands, Southern
  • [ˈdam] British, Midlands, Southern
  • /ˈdam/ Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • [ˈdam] ~ [ˈdäm] Northern England, Scotland, Wales
  • /ˈdæm/ Canada, US
  • [ˈdæm]
  • [ˈdeə̯m] ~ [ˈdɛə̯m]
  • /ˈdæːm/ Australia
  • [ˈdæːm]
  • [ˈdeːm] ~ [ˈdɛːm]
  • /ˈdɛm/ New Zealand
  • [ˈdɛm] New Zealand

Sounds like damn · Rhymes with -æm

Where it comes from

Pronunciation spelling of damn.

interjection dam'

  1. historical, pronunciation spelling, slang Damn.

adjective dam'

  1. historical, not comparable, pronunciation spelling, slang Damn. Do not get too caught up in individual campism. The Most-High sent your spirits back on earth to fix yourselves, come together and wake up our people, so do your dam job and stop letting your fleshly desires control you.

DAM⁵

noun

  1. abbreviation, initialism, uncountable Initialism of digital asset management

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: levee, dyke, dike, dkm, decameter, decametre, dekametre, dekameter, dam up, barrage, weir, pond, river, breakwater, pier, embankment

Translations

Every language

noun structure placed across a flowing body of water

Españolpresa, represa, azud, azuda, pesquera, bocal
한국어댐 daem
日本語ダム damu, 堰堤 entei
中文壩 /坝 bà, 水壩 /水坝 shuǐbà, 大壩 /大坝 dàbà
हिन्दीबाँध bāndh, पुश्ता puśtā
Portuguêsbarragem, represa, açude
Françaisbarrage
DeutschTalsperre, Damm, Staudamm
Italianoargine, diga
Ελληνικάφράγμα frágma
Românăbaraj
Русскийплоти́на plotína, да́мба dámba, гать gatʹ, на́сыпь násypʹ
Tiếng Việtđập
العربيةسَدّ sadd
עבריתסֶכֶר sékher

verb block

Españolrepresar, embalsar
Portuguêsrepresar, barrar
Deutschstauen, abdämmen, absperren
Italianoimbrigliare

noun female parent

日本語メス mesu, 牝 mesu, 雌 mesu
中文母畜 mǔchù, 母獸 /母兽 mǔshòu
DeutschMuttertier

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"dam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dam. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

APA

dam. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dam

Chicago

"dam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dam.

BibTeX
@misc{dam_2026,
  title = {dam},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dam},
  urldate = {2026-11-05}
}